Sunday, August 29, 2010

Make Me a Vessel

This morning before I poured that first cup of coffee, I enjoyed a period of quiet solitude where my thoughts could flow freely. During those moments it's nearly impossible not to feel inspired by basic processes of thinking and expanding the mind. It's during these moments that I feel most at peace with everything; I know that all is well--on many levels.
Life as the mundane is difficult at best. Tiny, insignificant details cloud the clarity of our vision--both physical and emotional. We get caught up in issues that overwhelm us; we get frustrated, we get our feelings hurt, we strike out in defense and hurt others and then feel guilty. Why? Perhaps because we are in that old adage of "not being able to see the forest for the trees". Our "trees" in life--what others think of us, what we think of others, snap judgments, insecurities, greediness--grow and become so large that we see only them. As a result, the "forest"--all the beauties of life, of nature, of our own ability to process thoughts on a higher level--can't be seen, much less experienced.
No matter who we look to on Earth as our sages in the flesh, if they are truly wise, they all give us the same message: Shed those things that bind you and become a vessel to all that is good. I practice Christianity and one of my favorite verses is "Be Still and Know that I Am". The largess of being still--totally still--is incredible. We use the terms "uncomfortable silence", "the silence was overwhelming" and "silence is golden". That is the power of silence. With that total silence comes the ability to let wisdom enter into our otherwise cluttered minds. What a gift to give ourselves the permission to be silent. To think; to contemplate; to rid ourselves of the mundane. To fully envision our roles in this journey as "empty vessels" waiting to be filled daily with wisdom to do good to and for all those around us. 
I hope today and throughout life you will sit quietly and meditate upon the vastness of your abilities to do good. Become the empty vessel and then be filled with love, with peace, with fairness, with wisdom. Be still.